


Safekeeping

by megoettee



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Hurt Steve Harrington, Post-Season/Series 03, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, family connection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24387061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megoettee/pseuds/megoettee
Summary: She supposed the signs had always been there. She’d just blatantly ignored them for three years and pretended everything was fine. But now, as she stared at the mass of churning flesh, Kathryn realized she couldn’t ignore it anymore.
Relationships: Steve Harrington/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Blissful Ignorance

Watching fireworks hurling through the open space of the Starcourt lobby, Kathryn briefly wondered if her priorities hadn’t been entirely... _straight_.

She supposed the signs had always been there. She’d just blatantly ignored them for three years and pretended everything was fine.

Kathryn knew her father worked at the lab that had been the epicenter of Hawkins’ first national (possibly global) scandal.

He’d been a military man his whole life so...secrets weren’t a new thing with him. Secrets were his whole life.

But Steve...? He was her best friend. He was the guy who pinky swore they’d _never_ have secrets. But he had, out of the blue, begun to show signs of trauma around the same time her father began talking about the changes in “management” at work.

And then, **_both_** men had suddenly become super overprotective _at the same time_. But neither would say why.

She remembered Steve had all but dropped his “King Steve” persona in, what felt like, a matter of 24 hours and with no real explanation.

But Kathryn _still_ hadn’t truly questioned anything. She’d been there when Steve needed her but she was essentially a sheep blindly following the herd.

Ignorance was bliss, right?

Frozen solid at the entrance to the food court, she wondered if that ignorance was what put her here today.

She glanced to the upper balcony. Watched Steve and the small group she’d only briefly come to know as they hurled active fireworks at the mass of churning flesh roaring in the center of the court.

The signs had almost definitely been there. If she had only looked.

Really. Nothing had added up. The younger Byers’ death-cum-resurrection. Her father being stationed at the lab at all. Steve’s complete 180° in personality.

The entire winter of ‘83 should have been her first clue.

The following fall had only brought more questions.

Her father came home each night more weary than the one before. He’d become adamant that she and her mother were never alone and knew how wield a weapon. That they understood the ins and outs of first aid. When to use this and where to use that.

His death had come as a shock and the flimsy excuse their government gave should have plucked her suspicions. But Kathryn had been riddled with grief.

The sudden return of tension in Steve and his desire know where she was at all times should have been yet another clue.

But Kathryn had written it off as his small attempt at filling in for her father.

The lab’s involvement in Barbara Holland’s death. The power outages. The leaked report on the lab’s dealings. It had never felt right. But she’d continued to ignore it.

As she stared at the monster mid-roar, she realized couldn’t ignore it anymore.

————

“You look like an open autopsy, Steve. Have the medics _actually_ looked at you yet?”

He batted her hand away from his face and glanced at the chaos behind them.

“Why the hell are you here, Katy?“

He seemed angry and distracted. Worriedly glancing over his shoulder every few seconds as he shielded her from the mayhem and prying eyes.

“I’m sorry. I just...” she frowned, thinking back on the reason why she’d shown up to the mall at all. “...I had changed my mind about going to...”

She trailed off, watching as he ignored her explanation. He was on edge and rightly so but...he kept pushing her towards the door of her car, eyeing the crowd of blue and red lights.

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

Steve froze at the question, his gaze sinking to meet her own. He swallowed and his eyes flit across her face searchingly.

“Tell you what?”

Kathryn bit her lip and allowed herself to drop into the driver’s seat, her legs still dangling outside the car.

“That your world was falling apart significantly more than anyone ever suspected. And has been for at least two years now. Steve, I...”

“Don’t. _Please_ ,” his voice was thick and gravelly. “Not here.”

Kathryn nodded and drew in a breath, observing her hands as they moved restlessly in her lap. Moments passed in silence as he hovered in the opening to her car.

“Let me take you home. You’re in no condi...”  
“I promised Robin I’d...”

She followed his gaze to where their classmate stood hugging herself, waiting.

“I’ll take her, too. We had a semester of Spanish together and she helped tutor me.”

She could see the hesitation. Knew he was reluctant to involve her at all.

“Please,” she begged. “Let me do _something_.”

His fist gently pounded the roof of her car as he pushed himself away and ran a hand through his hair. He winced at the action but covered it well by hailing his coworker over.

“Have they cleared you yet?”

Robin just nodded and smiled politely at Kathryn.

“Your bosom buddy just left with his mom and Erica is still here but she’s with Lucas and their parents...”

“Okay,” he breathed. “So, everyone’s got someone. Good.”

Kathryn watched in silence as he stared at the decimated mall for a few moments before coming back to himself. He let out a derisive chuckle and blew out a breath, his cheeks expanding with the action.

“Okay. Katy’s offered to take us home. That okay?”

It took the blonde a moment to react but she eventually nodded and motioned to front of the building.

“Mind if I check for my bike?”

————

The drive was morbidly quiet. Kathryn has lowered the windows to grant her passengers fresh air and silently prayed it was enough for now.

When they arrived at Robin’s house, Steve rolled out of the car on a groan to help with her bike and, ostensibly, talk without prying ears.

Robin waved a thank you before disappearing into the small home and Steve returned to his seat at her side.

She soundlessly parked in his driveway and pulled the key from the ignition. Neither made to move to exit the car as the sounds of fireworks echoed in the distance.

Kathryn remembered the horrible nightmare that had greeted her in the mall lobby.

“Please don’t push me away.”

She didn’t dare look at him as she begged. Instead, she stared at the looming emptiness of a house that hid more shadows than she’d ever known. How long had he kept such dark secrets?

“You don’t have to...”

He had turned his head to face her. She could see him in her peripheral. But she refused to meet him. 

“To what? _Care?_ Steve,” she choked on a bitter laugh. “You can’t expect me to just...walk away from this.”

He returned his gaze to the house and she, reluctantly, looked over.

“It’s better you do it now,” he said quietly.

Kathryn’s jaw clenched at the anger coursing through her. It wasn’t fair. Steve was barely nineteen and his outlook on life was already so dismal.

But she knew they didn’t have time to unpack it all tonight in his driveway. So, she sucked a breath and ordered him out of the car as she climbed out herself.

“Come on. You need a shower and sleep. I’ll call mom and let her know I’m staying here tonight.”

“Katy...”

“Get out of the damn car, Steve,” she growled. “Get your ass up to your bedroom, pick a pair of pajamas and get into the fucking shower or I swear to god I’ll...”

It was the first hint of a smile she’d seen all night but it was there.

“Okay, okay. Jesus. Take no prisoners.”

He held his hands up in mock surrender and, after shutting the car door, made his way up the front steps.

“ _I can’t take you seriously in that outfit anyway_ ,” she mumbled, following closely behind.

“What was that?”  
“Nothing.”

————

Kathryn turned from the window as she heard the bedroom door creak open.

“Glad to see you’re still in one piece,” she joked softly.

His flannel pants hung low, allowing her a glimpse of the skin between them and the hem of his shirt. Splotches of color warned her of the potential damage.

“Come here,” she called, patting the bed. “What did the medics say?”

She’d found the first aid in the kitchen and full intended to redress some of his more major wounds. He sat at the edge and let her fingers work on the cuts and bruises on his face, only wincing every now and then.

“To be honest...? I’m not entirely sure. There was something about a fractured rib maybe? Cuts. Bruises. Nothing fatal though.”

He’d caught her glare and immediately begun scrambling for purchase.

“Ow! Katy! Seriously?”

She’d admittedly pressed a little harder than necessary on the gauze but his blasè attitude about his injuries really got under her skin.

“Show me.”  
“Show you what?”  
“Your ribs.”  
“Katy, if you wanted to see me shirtle..”  
“Steve, I swear to all that is holy...”  
“Your bedside manner is really lacking.”

He, nonetheless, moved his hands to the hem of his shirt and began to pull it upward. She didn’t miss the hitch in his breathing or how much he struggled with such a simple task.

“Oh...” she whispered. “Oh, Steve.”  
“It’s nothing, Katy. It’ll heal in no time.”  
“This is not... _nothing_. God, Steve. What did they do to you?”

He’d briefly—very briefly—glossed over what happened. Where he was for the past...god knew how long.

Her fingers skimmed over the expansive bruising. Feather light touches highlighting the contours of discoloration over muscle and bone.

“I’m so sorry. If I’d just figured it...”

He’d grabbed her wrist in a split second and forced her to meet his gaze.

“Don’t do that. _Don’t_ go there. It’s not your fault.”

At the question in her eyes, he begrudgingly added, “And it wasn’t mine either. You knowing wouldn’t have changed anything. It honestly would have just put one more person in danger.”

She bit her lip, her fingers skimming the rough, gnarled skin of a scar before she blew out a breath and backed away.

“You know that’s why I didn’t tell you about any of it? Or, well, mostly why...”

She didn’t say anything. Just began packing the first aid back up.

“I wanted to. But we signed these papers and your da...”

Silence.

She sat next to him on the bed, fiddling with the zipper on the kit.

“It wasn’t a chemical leak, was it?”  
“No.”  
“Was it quick?”  
“Katy, I don’t...”  
“Right.”

Minutes passed in silence.

“He loved you, you know. After the lab, I guess, _briefed_ their team on who knew and who to keep an eye on, he came to me. Despite his orders.”

She lifted her head to meet his gaze and immediately looked away. Across the room to the set of trophies on shelves.

“He made me promise, that if anything ever happened to him, that I would keep you safe and as far away from any of this as possible.”

She laughed through her tears and nodded.

“Yeah. That sounds like him. Good intentions but...forever sheltering.”

“Well. Your dad was fucking intimidating. I was not about to say ‘no’ to a man who could bury me alive. And don’t even try to give me that ‘big teddy bear’ routine. The man was a machine. And a hell of a scary one.”

She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“He liked you. Always asked if you’d be where ever I was going.”  
“You sure that wasn’t him arming himself with names to blame if something went wrong?”

More laughter.

“ _Steeeve_ ,” she giggled. “He was more relaxed if he knew you were there.”  
“That’s still no guarantee he _liked_ me, _Kaaathryn_.”  
“You’re impossible.”

She swatted at his shoulder, rolling her eyes at his over-dramatic wince but remembering her end goal.

“Come on,” she said, a hand on his thigh before she stood up. “Your body needs to rest. Get in the bed.”

She moved the covers back and forced him back down before proceeding to close the curtains. She hesitated at the lamp and sent him a questioning glance.

“Leave it. It’ll take about a week for me to get back into a normal...routine.”

Kathryn nodded and backed away but not before he caught her wrist the second time that night.

“Sleep with me? Like we used to.”  
“Steve, that was ten years ago.”  
“I know. I just...”  
“No funny business?”

He looked almost affronted.

“ _Funny business?_ Katy Kat. Give me some credit here. We’re friends.”

“I don’t know what you do in your sleep,” she said on a grin, sliding into bed with him. “I, _of course_ , hear stories of your escapades _before_ sleeping but...”

“You girls really know how to...”  
“Don’t lump me in with those commoners.”  
“My apologies, Princess Kathryn. I’ll be sure to set you apart from the gossips.”  
“Go to sleep.”  
“Yes, Your Majesty. I live to serve.”  
“Jackass.”


	2. More of a Concept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreams, diner explanations and denial.

His eyes snapped open as the monster‘s arm pierced through his stomach.

Frozen in place, Steve gasped for breath, unaware of the presence beside him calling his name.

He closed his eyes, immediately deeming it a bad idea as the images of his adventures taunted him once more. His breathing began to slow with the beating of his heart as he grew more aware but the heat of the room had become stifling; his body simultaneously covered with sweat and chill bumps.

“ _Steve_.”

He recognized the softness in her voice. Turned his gaze to meet hers and watched as she carefully laid a hand on his shoulder. The action grounded him. The solidness of her touch drew him back to reality and the last vestiges of the dream drifted away.

“Are you okay?”

He laid there for a moment, mentally taking stock.

“Yeah...”

His voice cracked on the affirmation. His throat dry and rough. Steve watched Kathryn’s tongue dart over her lips in contemplation before she smoothly pulled away and moved around the bed.

She peeled the covers back and offered a hand to help him sit up.

“You’re burning up,” she said with a frown. “Wait here.”

Steve didn’t know what else she expected him to do. He felt weak and lethargic. His mind still playing catch up. He leaned forward on his knees, clasping his hands in front of him as his head hung with the weight of his dream. He eventually sucked in a shaky breath as he listened to her return.

A cool cloth was laid on the back of his neck before a small glass pressed into his hands.

“Drink” was her only command.

The bed dipped beside him but Kathryn said nothing more. He downed the water and then examined the glass.

Steve sighed, placed it on his bedside table and turned to look at her, startled to find tears running down her cheeks.

“Katy? What’s wrong?”  
“What?”

She seemed genuinely confused at his question.

“You’re crying.”  
“I am not.”

She reached up to touch her cheeks and pulled her fingers away, astonished to find them wet. Her gaze jerked to meet his and she shook her head.

“I’m just tired. That’s all,” she said, before standing to retrieve the cup and wet cloth.

“People don’t randomly cry for no reason when they're tired, Kat.”  
“You clearly skipped that science lesson.”

She considered him for moment, pursing her lips, and Steve thought she might break. But instead, she shook her head on a small smile and returned to her task.

“Kathryn Anne Peters.”

She turned to face him, her eyes set in a mild glare.

“Steven Leslie Harrington.”

Steve sighed heavily, pushing himself off the bed and crossing the room to meet her. He (very deliberately) took back the empty glass and raised a brow at her defiant stare.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”  
“ _Nothing_ is wrong, Steve.”  
“You’re a horrible liar.”  
“And you’re horribly reckless. But you don’t see me holding _that_ against you.”

She tore away from him and made to leave the bedroom.

“Why won’t you let me hel...”  
“Because it’s not _about_ **me** , Steve,” she seethed.

Her gaze had darkened significantly as she turned it on him. Kathryn sucked in a breath and her gaze flitted around the room, landing anywhere but on him.

“This is about _you_ , you idiot. This is about me not being there for _my best friend_ for two years, Steve.“

She finally met his gaze and all he could do was stand there, baffled by the admission. She let out a quiet scoff and he watched as she rolled watery eyes towards the ceiling.

“Don’t worry about it. Okay? Let me do this,” she said, reclaiming the glass in his hand.

She immediately started shaking her head as he took a step forward and tried to contradict her.

“If not for you, then let me do it for myself. _Please_.”

He nodded, suddenly not having the strength to do much else. She smiled and thanked him before disappearing through the door.

Steve stared for a long time, processing what she’d said. He hadn’t anticipated the intensity of Kathryn’s response and suddenly began to worry that he’d been neglecting his own best friend duties over time.

He trudged back to the bed and laid down, staring at the ceiling in thought. He didn’t like the thought of her knowing anything. But maybe, with Dustin’s help, he could ease her (and probably Robin) into the secret world of monsters and mayhem and start mending their friendship.

————

“How do you even remember that?” Dustin questioned around a mouthful of burger. “You were _very_ unconscious at that point.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Steve said, waving away the teenager’s indignation.

He continued to bowl through the rest of the story as Kathryn side eyed Robin. The blonde, though relatively surprised, seemed mostly unperturbed by the gory and supernatural facts of Steve’s story.

It was, on the whole, somewhat hard to follow as he continually went off on tangents, reminded by certain details of some other moment they needed to be told about.

“You’re absolute shit at story telling, Steve,” Dustin interrupted, pulling his bag into his lap.

“Well, excuse me for trying to be thorough.”  
“Thoroughly confusing.”  
“I’d like to see you do it any better.”

Steve popped a fry into his mouth, brow raised in an unmasked challenge.

“Gladly,” Dustin grinned toothily. “You have to keep it simple.”

Dustin pushed his plate towards Steve and a large tome landed with a thump on the diner table. Incredulous, Kathryn glanced at the two across from her.

“What the hell is ‘ _simple_ ’ about a three inch thick binder _textbook_?” Robin finally added, eyeing the addition to the table.

“It’s not a _textbook_ , you simpleton. It’s a manual.”

“Oh,” Robin raised her hands in mock surrender and rolled her eyes. “Forgive me for such a grievous mistake.”

Kathryn glanced up at Steve and then back to the open book. She silently asked if she could see it as Dustin expounded on Steve’s version of events. Without even faltering, he slid it to her, allowing her to flick through the pages.

“Everything lines up, with a few exceptions, to the information we can find in here,” he said, stopping her when she landed on a certain page. “This is the Mind Flayer. It didn’t exactly manifest the same but it’s stats and characteristics were extremely similar.”

“Mind Flayer?” Kathryn asked, running her finger over the image of a humanoid squid monster.   
“The monster you walked in on,” Steve answered reluctantly.   
“And that gate we saw below the mall...?”

Kathryn lifted her gaze at Robin’s question.

“It acts as the main portal between worlds. The Upside Down is essentially the same only... _opposite_.”

“But not really opposite either,” Steve added, sipping his drink and leaning back in the booth. “Like...just because something is short here, doesn’t make it tall there.”

“Right,” Dustin said, eyeing his friend warily. “It’s more of a concept.”

He turned back to face the girls.

“It’s warm, friendly and bright here. But it’s cold, dark and uninviting there.”

Kathryn blinked, shivering involuntarily at the thought of such a place.

“And it was controlling Will and the... _what’s_?” Robin asked.   
“Demodogs. Baby demogorgons.”  
“Name was the kid's idea,” Steve added around his bite of burger.   
“Those...” Dustin said pointedly looking at his mentor. “...are on this page.”

Dustin flipped back to almost the beginning and showed her the entry.

“ _You_ ,” Robin said, pointing to Steve in disbelief and laughing. “...fought _that_?”   
“Well. These didn’t have two heads. But it’s probably the only thing he’s won a fight _against_ ,” Dustin supplied.  
“Dude!” Steve whined. “Chill on the whole fight thing, will ya?”   
“Just saying.”

Kathryn read through the description of the monster and glanced across the page. She understood things like crocodiles and crabs (even giant ones) but…cockatrices and couatl--even the Juiblex on the next page--were all way over her head.

“Okay,” she started, steadily frowning at the images. “If demogorgons and mind flayers are _real_...”

She looked at the boy beside her (not at all prepared to confront the one her age) and watched him shrug.

“More or less,” Dustin confirmed.

“Could that then mean,” she returned her gaze to the book and flipped to another page. “…that the rest of these are, potentially, just as real?”

The table grew silent. The boys squirmed in their seats and Robin reached for the makeshift tome.

“I mean,” Dustin started, seeming much more uncomfortable. “I suppose, we can’t really rule it out.”

“Oh hell no,” Robin cursed, flipping pages and ignoring Dustin’s curses.   
“Hey! Be careful with that!”

Steve leaned over to look at the illustrations as Robin thumbed through.

“Dustin, this thing’s got a goat on the same page as a goblin.”  
“Here’s a hyena above an _intellect devourer_! You’d probably be king against that one, Steve,” Robin grinned.   
“Har har. That thing looks terrifying.”

Steve paused and reached to point at another entry.

“And what’s this? I can’t even pronounce this.”  
“Okay. Circle Time’s over. Give me my manual back.”  
“No, I’m looking at the pictures,” Robin said, pulling the binder closer.   
“You’re just proving my point. You’re not even reading the entires.”  
“Who reads anymore?” Steve quips. “Besides, first impressions are everything.”

He turned and winked.

“Steve. We talked about the winking already,” Dustin countered.   
“We also talked about unsolicited advice. But that didn’t stop you, _Dusty-Bun._ ”  
“Look at you using those SAT words, Harrington!”  
“Go to hell, Robin.”  
“Been there, done that. Don’t care to do it again.”

The bickering faded into the background as Kathryn recalled the events of last week.

She had spent the first night at Steve’s but once her mother found out his parents weren’t coming home, he’d taken the guest bedroom at their house.

“ _At least until you’re on your feet again, dear. But you can, of course, stay longer if you’d like._ ”

She supposed her mother enjoyed having a male presence in the house again. Even if it was of a teenager.

He still had nightmares. The violence of them was waning but they still kept him up at night, shaking like a leaf.

The third morning, Kathryn was sure her mother had found her sleeping in the guest bed with him but she hadn’t said anything yet.

Kathryn assumed she hadn’t been as deaf to Steve’s late night screams as they’d thought.

Her own dreams had been plagued with reminders of the scene she’d walked into. Some nights, it was a play-by-play. Others, Billy’s body was replaced by her fathers. Sometimes even Steve lay at the apex of action.

The fireworks, remnants of a holiday still being celebrated, kept her on edge. The microwave popcorn her mother was so fond of held her captive for a full two minutes. Old and unserviced cars backfiring in the middle of town. Squealing children in the park. Breaking glass. The smell of meat. A burst of AC. It all had her muscles tensing, her lungs locking, heartbeat racing and the rest of her senses on high alert.

But then she’d look at Steve and see no reaction.

Steve who’d suffered first hand. Who dealt with this for two years. Steve who’d fought twice before. Who knew the monsters by name.

Steve with a smile on his face and a slurpee in his hand.

And Kathryn felt small.

If Steve wasn’t reacting, _why was she_?

So, they continued as they were. Kathryn comforting him at night. Bringing him water and telling him it was all over. That he was safe. Loved. Not alone.

Trying her best to turn around and mask her own reactions during the day. Pushing the sights, sounds and smells of summer in Hawkins, Indiana to the background. Ignoring the building anxieties.

If Steve was okay, she should be too.

“...hey.”

A hand on hers had her jumping out of her seat. Her gaze jerked from the window to the very same boy across from her. His eyes had gone wide, hands in the air.

Neither said a word.

Kathryn swallowed at the knot in her throat before attempting a smile. She watched Steve lower his hands, his forehead creasing in a frown.

“Katy, I...”  
“Where are the others?” she asked, suddenly noting their absence.   
“Robin’s took Dustin to the arcade and is going to meet us at my place.”  
“I’m sorry. I got caught up in my thoughts.”  
“No reason to apologize. It’s a lot.”

A pause.

“Katy, are you...are you _okay_?”  
“Of course,” she said, sliding from the booth to stand. “Just...digesting.”

Steve watched her a moment longer before sliding himself out of the booth.

“You’d tell me if something was wrong?”  
“Nothing is wrong, Steve.”

She gathered her things and looked at him expectantly.

“If we don’t get going, Robin’s going to beat us to your house.”  
“My parents aren’t home.”  
“You don’t leave a guest waiting on the host, Harrington.”

He rolled his eyes and jangled his keys.

“Your chariot awaits, Your Majesty.”  
“Now if only I could find a decent coachman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Historically inaccurate phrases for 100, please, Alex!
> 
> Fun Fact: Chariots were originally two person carts used by military in ancient warfare, hunting and racing. I can't find any instance of them being used as passenger transport. (If I am incorrect, please feel free to educate me. In a nice way please.)
> 
> Fun Fact #2: I DID find out that the Chariot tarot card is about overcoming conflicts and moving forward in a positive direction so maybe that has some bearing on the modern usage of the phrase? 
> 
> The next chapter will find our "heroes" getting into a little bit of trouble where the past is concerned. Maybe a familiar phrase to apply would be: 
> 
> Maybe it would be best to let sleeping dogs lie. 
> 
> Take from that what you will! Until next time!


End file.
